School Council News

School Council Meetings

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Wednesday 21st June @ 7.30pm 

The dates of the next Committee meetings are as follows:

Parent Association:  Wednesday 14th June @ 7.15pm (Bree Stevens and Cherie Paterson)

Buildings, Grounds & Sustainability: Thursday 15th June @ 6.30pm (Robyn James)

Finance: Monday 19th June @ 6.30pm (Vicky Cai)

Education & Policy: Tuesday 20th June @ 7.00pm  (Cadell Duke & Ben Parker) - Parent Forum on our Inclusion Program

All committees and School Council meet in the staff room, unless otherwise advised by the convener.

Please contact the office if you would like to join any of the committees so your details can be passed on to the convenor.

Another School Council Introduction

Ben Parker

As part of stepping into the Acting Assistant Principal role this year, I have also jumped aboard our School Council for 2023.

I have been at Malvern Primary School since the beginning of 2012. The first 5 years of my time at MPS was teaching in the junior school where I tied many many shoelaces and provided many tissues for teary eyes… and that was for me personally! All jokes aside, teaching the junior school was an extremely rewarding experience and left me constantly in awe of not only what our students are capable of but also the constant enthusiasm they hold for their learning.

From 2017 - 2022, I taught in the senior part of the school where I was able to work with the students in implementing changes in the school and their classroom that they wanted to see. The most notable being when a group of very enthusiastic Year 4 students came to speak to me about how they can start their own school news program. This was the seed that blossomed into what is now Prime News.

From 2019 - 2022, I picked up additional roles such as Learning Specialist where I was able to work with and support the teachers across the school in their planning and professional development and the Disability Inclusion Coordinator where I worked with our staff, Allied Health workers and students to create more inclusive learning environments for students across the entire school.

This is my second stint on the School Council and I really enjoy the collaborative nature that the school educators and parents have when working together on school governance.

Year Four Instrumental Music Program at MPS

I wanted to share an extraordinary program at the school that's Dean Napier's brain child. If you have ever spoken to Dean about music, you'll know what I mean, his enthusiasm and love for music  is palpable and he will happily share the exceptional benefits for children's development and  more broadly human health. It's this love that started the  Year Four Instrumental Music Program at MPS: It's been taken up so enthusiastically by the students; the demand being so high, the program now needs to grow. A great problem to work on. 

Over to Dean to explain

 'A couple of years ago, former Member of Higgins Katie Allen, offered a $20,000 grant for education initiatives. As I am a big advocate for the Arts, and the education benefits and self-belief it promotes, I applied for the grant to create an Instrumental Music Program (IMP). I was successful in the full amount and quickly bought all the instruments. Unfortunately, a little worldwide phenomenon called COVID appeared and put the program on hold for two years!!

Fortunately, last year MPS was able to move forward on the program and we offered the year 4 students an opportunity to choose an instrument and learn how to play and read music (one of the few activities that uses both the left and right side of the brain). It was a huge success, and when I was invited to attend assembly in term 4 to watch the students play ‘We will rock you’, and witness the joy and pride on their faces, it was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

2023 has seen an even greater uptake from the year fours, and we are now looking to extend the program into years 5 and 6. One of the greatest joys I have had as a parent was watching my son play flute in the instrumental band for his school. He was lucky enough to play in many parts of Victoria and Europe, including Flanders Fields on ANZAC day, St Andrews in England, Disneyland Paris and in front of the Eiffel tower. These are memories my son and I cherish, and I hope it is a journey you and your child/ren may be able to take too.

Benefits of a music program: A music education facilitates students’ academic achievement through improved recall and retention of verbal information. It supports skills in other subject areas such as reading and language, maths, and other artforms. Music education develops the creative capacities for lifelong success. It sharpens student attentiveness and creativity, strengthens perseverance, and supports better study habits and self-esteem. A music education fosters working memory, creative thinking and enhances fine and gross motor skills. Playing music in a group and working towards something such as an end-of-term performance supports children’s social skills. Studies have shown that when children as young as four made music together, they became more co-operative and helpful.'

Sarah Meachem

School Council President